Just yesterday, we were talking about how Google is going straight to Android 17 Beta 1 without going down the Developer Preview route like it usually does, and how the first beta could have dropped yesterday. However, the Alphabet-owned giant seems to have cancelled those plans.
Although the Android 17 Beta 1 was scheduled to arrive at 10 AM PT, the company decided to pull the plug on the beta release. In a statement sent to Android Police, Google says that “last-minute changes” have led to the delay.
Android 17 Beta 1 is now “coming soon”
“Android Beta 1 will actually be coming soon, not today,” says Google.
Although the nature of the last-minute changes isn’t immediately clear, they could have been significant enough to prompt the company to postpone the launch after all the hype.
A February 11 launch was still slightly later than expected, as the company unveiled the first Android 16 beta on January 23 last year.
However, despite the delay, Google still has about a month and a half to release Android 17 Beta 1 (and align it with the promised Q1 2026 release timeline).
Stability target still set for March
As per the official schedule, Google aims to achieve platform stability (for the Android 17 pre-release build) sometime around March 2026, and the final build could go live in the second quarter of the year, in or around June 2026.
In the past, we’ve seen Samsung’s new foldables debut with the latest Android operating system, and I see no reason why that won’t happen this year.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Flip 8 are expected to break cover in July 2026, and there’s a very good chance Samsung will announce One UI 9.0, based on Android 17, at the launch event.
For now, we’re expecting Android 17 to be released in the coming weeks, but no later than that.